SUSTAINABILITY AT THE INTERSECTION OF
TRADE, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
UNCTAD-CITES-OAS
Side event to the Eighth Session of the Open Working Group on
Sustainable Development Goals
Wednesday 5 February 2014, 1:15-2:45 pm
Conference Room E, UN Headquarters, New York
Address by Mrs. Claudia S. de Windt, Senior Legal Specialist, Chief Environmental
Law, Policy and Good Governance, OAS, Department of Sustainable Development
Distinguished delegates and colleagues,
After extending a heartfelt thank you to my CITES and UNCTAD
colleagues for the privilege of being here today to address such a relevant
topic and to enjoy the company of such distinguished panelist and audience;
I would like to start my remarks by sharing some thoughts on why I am here,
and on the relevance of sustainability of biodiversity trade to the OAS.
The OAS was established as an international organization among other
things to promote peace and justice, to strengthen collaboration, and to
defend the territorial integrity of its member States.
The essential purposes of the Organization rely on the principles of social
justice, respect for cultural values, and economic cooperation as the basis for
lasting peace, security and welfare of the peoples of the Americas.
Good environmental governance is at the center of these ambitious goals and
principles. Moreover, the full democratic development of the peoples of the
hemisphere depends in great measure on the ability of our people to protect,
manage and use our natural endowment in a sound way. Trade has a
significant role in this task.
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In fact, this was recognized for the first time in 1940, when the
Organization, then known as the Pan-American Union, and our member
States signed one of the first environmental treaties, the Western
Hemisphere Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation
(The Western Hemisphere Convention), which includes provisions on trade
of wildlife, cooperation, research, as well as on the establishment of
protected areas.
The challenge for the Americas does not lie in the realm of vision, policy,
mission or a lack of commitments. In fact, our region could be ranked as the
most prolific with regards to environmental treaty ratification.
The challenge that our member States currently face is one of governance
including all of its elements: funding, enforcement, human resources,
institutional strengthening, technology, participatory decision-making, and
rule of law, among many others.
The Americas is endowed with some of the most biodiverse spots in our
planet together with an abundance of genetic resources. At the same time,
trade in goods and services, a major source of foreign exchange, national
income and employment is also a major charge on the natural resources of
the region, given that the key sectors in the regions’ economy are natural
resource based and primarily derived from resource intensive sectors.
The question that must be answered is what can we and what are we doing
about this as an international community?
Efforts from the national to the global level, including with support of
Organizations like the OAS, CITES and UNCTAD, should continue to be
centered in extending the welfare-enhancing benefits associated with trade
liberalization to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
We all know this doesn’t happen automatically and that the struggle for
consensus on a balanced development agenda has significantly slowed down
global trade talks.
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Cognizant of this reality, I would like to highlight three concrete areas of
work:
1) Supporting the implementation of regional and global agreements
related to biodiversity through sustainable use and trade;
2) Building on the space provided by the Regional Trade Agenda for
cooperative action on this topic; and
3) Monitor progress with regards to conservation and the sustainable
use of biodiversity in the context of good governance and rule of
law.
1) Supporting implementation of regional and global agreements
related to biodiversity through sustainable use and trade
In this area I see significant value-added in the OAS mandate, as a regional
UN agency, of supporting the implementation of Multilateral Environmental
Agreements (MEAs), such as CITES and the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD), other global commitments such as the 10-year framework
for Sustainable Production and Consumption, and regional treaties such as
the Western Hemisphere Convention.
Key examples of how this mandate has emerged include:
a) Sustainable global shark trade.
Almost a year ahead of the listing of five shark species in CITES, the OAS
in collaboration with the CITES Secretariat, the governments of Brazil and
the United States, as well as other partner organizations, co-sponsored a
workshop focused on the implementation of the new measures for
international trade of the listed shark species that will come in effect in
September 2014. The training provided information on and demonstrated the
use of tools and techniques that will help advance the identification of
sharks, improve data collection and data reporting on shark catch in the
region, and enhance the tracking of shark specimens in trade, ultimately
contributing to sustainable global shark trade.
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The OAS has also been collaborating with the CITES Secretariat on efforts
related to the impact of Convention decisions in livelihoods of local
communities in our region.
b) Sustainable Use of Biodiversity and CBD implementation
The Inter-American Biodiversity Network (IABIN) was established in 2004
to assist countries in accessing and exchanging relevant biodiversity
information that complements value-added tools, improves decision-making,
and supports the implementation of CBD among other biodiversity
commitments and the development of value chains in biodiversity products
in the Americas.
c) Mainstreaming Sustainability into Government Procurement
The OAS has recently provided input into initial efforts in Peru to include
the principle of sustainability in the national government procurement
policy.
Mr. Chair, these are just a few examples of what has been done, can be done
and scaled up in this area through partnership and collaboration.
2) Building on the space provided by the Regional Trade Agenda for
cooperative action on this topic
The emergence of bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs)
negotiations, in my opinion represents an important opportunity that must be
highlighted despite the tensions that have traditionally existed regarding
environmental issues in a trade context.
WTO statistics show that to date, approximately, 400 RTAs are in force. In
this context countries have increasingly recognized the need for a
complementary agenda to maximize the full developmental benefits
associated with free trade, in particular in the area of environmental
management.
New generation trade agreements include environmental commitments,
including related to enforcement of environmental laws and the
implementation of conventions such as those represented here today.
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Moreover, environmental cooperation has been a key feature of these
agreements, in particular with regards to biodiversity.
Two concrete examples include the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement
(PTPA) and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). The PTPA includes a
Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge understanding as well as a chapter
on Forest Governance. The understanding has reinforced the role that
Peruvian biodiversity goods play in the global economy while the Forest
Governance chapter has had a significant impact on forest management and
sustainability at the national level.
While the TPP is still being negotiated, substantive discussions regarding
marine biodiversity and sustainable trade are going on in this context.
Last but not least, in this area I would like to highlight the DR-CAFTA
Agreement – as an example of a positive contribution to sustainable trade of
biodiversity. The positive contribution of this agreement is evidenced with
concrete indicators – developed by the OAS with support from the Parties –
related to use of market-based conservation and CITES implementation.
Concrete results in the context of the DR-CAFTA Environmental
Cooperation Process include: programs on sustainable trade of cacao and
coffee, among other sustainable produced goods; and the composition of a
prosecutors network for wildlife protection.
Additionally, the liberalization scheme in this agreement includes Tariff
Rate Quotas (TRQs) aimed at promoting trade of organic products in a non
discriminatory way.
3) Monitor progress with regards to conservation and sustainable use
of biodiversity in the context of good governance and rule of law
Establishing benchmarks and monitoring progress contributes not only to
sustainable development but also to good governance.
There are many processes at the national and regional level that address the
state of the environment and biodiversity. This has to do with the
consolidation of the concept of good environmental governance and the right
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to a healthy environment.
These ongoing processes and the emerging Sustainable Development Goals
process at the global level, have the possibility of highlighting the positive
role trade can play in advancing sustainability by enhancing livelihoods and
the interactions between people and ecosystems.
I would like to illustrate this point by citing two examples. The first is the
process that has been consolidated in the CAFTA DR agreement context,
with OAS support, towards compliance to a commitment in the
Environmental Cooperation Agreement of this Treaty. Conservation of
biodiversity and market-based conservation are two of the five priority areas
for which concrete indicators at the outcome level have been established to
capture visible, measurable changes in the capacity of CITES management,
the role of enforcement authorities in wildlife protection and prevention of
illegal trade, areas of biological significance placed under improved
management schemes, increased percentage of regional production and
retail value of certified cocoa, bananas and coffee, among others.
I have noticed with interest that the Western Hemisphere Convention has
been acknowledged in many countries as one the international treaty that
recognizes human rights. In this context, another process in the Americas
has to do with the right to a healthy environment. Over the past decade this
process has been focused in establishing progress indicators for measuring
rights established under the protocol of San Salvador on the protection of
socio-economic and cultural rights. Article 11 of the Protocol establishes the
right to a healthy environment. In June 2013, a set of indicators was agreed
upon by the Working Group to Examine the Reports of the States Parties to
the Protocol of San Salvador (see CP/CAJP/INF. 206/13 rev. 1), including
indicators that address how the right to a healthy environment has been
assimilated into the structure of the State, public policy, and the achieved
results. The reporting process regarding to the right to a healthy environment
shall be guided by the criteria of availability, accessibility, sustainability,
acceptance and adaptation of the distinct environmental elements.
Thus, the indicators adopted by the OAS General Assembly for the most part
look at the state of forest resources and biodiversity and include the
following:
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Percentage of areas affected by environmental degradation
Percentage of the total territory established as protected areas
Percentage of forest coverage
Degree of erosion and soil degradation
The contribution of biodiversity to the livelihoods of the people of the
Americas, as well as the need to guarantee the right to a healthy
environment, make it imperative that these aspects together with the role of
trade to be mainstreamed into the Sustainable Development Goal process.
Capturing the synergies and building on the progress attained within existing
processes offers the hope of achieving the imperative balance of sustainable
development. Moreover, input from existing processes could provide the
necessary conditions for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely
SDGs.
As previously mentioned, countries in the Americas have increasingly
recognized the need for a complementary agenda to maximize the full
developmental benefits associated with free trade, in particular in the area of
environmental management. In closing, I would like to do so as well, by
emphasizing a principle established during the first Summit of the Americas,
held in Miami (1994), regarding Guaranteeing Sustainable Development and
Conserving Our Natural Environment for Future Generations. This principle
indicates that social progress and economic prosperity can be sustained only
if our people live in a healthy environment and our ecosystems and natural
resources are managed carefully and responsibly.
Thank you very much for your attention.
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